


Lingering Spirit

by nctsatan127



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Angst, Blood Drinking, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Character Death, Death, Demons, Devils, F/M, Past Character Death, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 16:33:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21811321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nctsatan127/pseuds/nctsatan127
Summary: "You are doomed to remain forever disappointed if you choose to believe that I am anything but a monster."The events which led Yeongwonhi to wind up in a prison cell were almost a blur. Death coming to protect and save her life did not help to clear things up.The mortal was soon to realise there were many layers to the events which had taken place.Death, being the only one powerful enough to possibly protect her.
Relationships: Park Seonghwa/Original Character(s)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 3





	1. Prologue.

The chill of the night air tore deep through Seonghwa’s body as he stood with his back pressed to the even colder, brick wall of the alleyway. With each exhale, his breath seemed to lightly condensate, leaving small clouds visible to each onlooker. The tight ebony trousers which hugged his legs, matched with a baggy, navy blue shirt which had a semi-frilled white collar, certainly displayed the youth’s impressive wealth. It had meant that the majority of young women who passed by would be more than happy to rake their eyes over his figure. Some were blatantly obvious with the regard in which they undressed him layer by layer, with a mere gaze. Others, however, would share a glance and blush furiously if he bothered to meet the eager stares. 

The gorgeous male was not even surprised in the slightest when someone finally held the courage to approach him. Her bodice was clearly a corset which had been pulled to the string’s near breaking point, as the size of her waist would have been lucky to be 10 inches wide. The deep green silk which coloured the dress was clearly made with the intent of it being an easy removal piece. A line of buttons reached from the nape of her neck, down to her lower back. It didn’t take more than a moment for Seonghwa to have a full understanding as to what her intentions were.

“Do you require an escort home, sir?” Her voice is laced with flirtation as she reaches out with her arm, ever so delicately dragging a forefinger from his chest down to where she halts, right below his nether region.

“How much would it cost for the attention of such a pretty lady?” The male’s eyes watch her eyes with a masked disinterest. Her touch is soft which suggests an almost timid approach coming from her side. He notices the slight tremor in her hand which mirrors the timing of his breathing. He doesn’t bother masking his smirk, fully becoming intrigued by the girl’s innocent façade. 

“Surely we can talk money later on. If you wouldn’t mind sir, I believe we should get be on our way,” She lowers her tone before allowing for her gaze to meet with his. The brunette does well to refrain from flinching as Seonghwa suddenly moves to grab her hand with his own. No words are spoken as he pushes himself off the wall and begins the walk to the direction of his desired location, not letting go of her hand even once.

The young lady had to admit that she felt a strong wave of uneasiness washing over her as they arrived at a brick wall cottage towards the outskirts of the city. The closest neighbour was half a mile away, the only other breathing creature being a black horse who was happily grazing, beneath the moonlight in its spaced out paddock. Something about the isolated area caused for her to shiver within the night air. Seonghwa didn’t bother pretending not to notice as he just allowed for the corners of his lips to turn up in an amused expression before gesturing for his guest to take the few steps required to reach the front door of the premises.

He remains silent as he places his key in the lock, pushing open the door for them both to enter. Once the girl’s feet are firmly planted on the inside, he closes the door and locks it, managing to mask the click as he makes an effort to clear his throat. The decent sized bed can be seen upon immediate entrance as the building consists of only two rooms. There other door leads to what seems to be the bathing room, the four-post bed being the main attraction. Placed on the wall opposite this is a dresser with a large mirror on top of it. 

“If you’d like to start preparing yourself, I must wash my face and I shall return,” Seonghwa exclaims with a warm smile. His guest merely nods, maintain her shy appearance as he wonders off into the separate room. It makes no sense to her how small the cottage is. His outfit and attitude form the means of it being assumed that he is a man of a wealthy status. The girl cannot help but feel slightly concerned at the idea that there could be a failure in her payment. 

She doesn’t allow herself to be buried too deep within her concerns as she begins to reach for the buttons behind her back. This routine had already been completed once since sun-down. Allowing for the majority of her dress to fall to the ground, she steps out of it, leaving her shoes placed within the middle as she withdraws the strings which keep the corset in place. The chill of the air from the room had barely touched her skin when the door to the bathing room was pulled open once more. Seonghwa stood with his torso free of the shirt he wore, leaving his well defined abdomen on show for all to see. The young lady felt herself catching her breath as she took a moment to admire him. It was rare that she would be granted the opportunity to bed a young male as handsome as this. Most who were taking her services were old men who were married or who had never found themselves a partner who could put up with their insistent drinking. 

“Do you mind if I tie you up?” The light haired male ponders aloud. He remains leaning against the door frame as he holds a glimmer of curiosity within his gaze. 

“Whatever you wish,” Is her response as she allows for her corset to meet with her dress on the floor. She fails to hold back a slight shiver as the tall male walks over to her. He delicately traces the lines of her shoulders before pushing her back onto the bed. Once she is placed on her back, he reaches for some rope which seems to of been stored in his nightstand. 

Her breath catches as he moves to be straddling her waist with his legs. He is careful to not harm her as he begins the process of tying both her hands to either post of the bed. This process is mimicked with her ankles, leaving her unable to move from her position. She finds herself unable to anything other than watching on as the handsome male leans down to attach his lips to the crook of her neck. The purpose of her presence on this bed seems to have fled her thoughts as all she can feel remains to be the soft caress of Seonghwa’s lips. He ever so carefully moves down from her neck, to her chest. Leaving a trail in his wake, he merely smirks to himself at the breathing from the girl which has become quite hurried. He pulls himself away from her smooth skin once he reaches her lower abdomen. The tug upward on his lips only increases as he notes the look of confusion that has gathered itself upon her features. 

“What’s wrong?” She questions, there is an absence of any kind of worry in the question as she only seems to be unsure as to what the male is planning to do.

“Nothing you need to stress your little mind about,” Seonghwa chuckles, tone turning dark as he leans down once more. The young lady barely has a chance to allow for her thoughts to cease as she suddenly feels the bitter cold of metal pressing against her stomach. Her world seems to come to a crashing halt as the light haired male raises his torso, dragging the dagger which he has produced from beneath the bed up in a fluid motion. She cries out in pain, her offender grinning with malice as he gazes upon the mess he has created. 

“Don’t hide your screams from me, love. Wouldn’t want you going without a fight,” Seonghwa cooed prior to lifting the blade once more. It was fair to say that her next shriek of pure terror almost caused for the cottage walls to tremble as the wound in her stomach was expanded. With an excruciating slow pace, as if he were toying with her, seeing how much she could push without her losing consciousness. Tears were falling yet failing to provide any comfort as Seonghwa continuously hacked away at her skin.

She made the mistake of peering down only once. The sight of what seemed to be her intestines, quickly being removed from their cavity was enough to make her begin pleading for death to sweep her up in its mercy. 

It was safe to assume that she was no longer feeling appreciative towards the hands of her charming attacker. The initial look of fear upon her features had only dared to grow and reach new heights as the light haired male continued to wreak his havoc. The familiar sight of the red blood as it stained the sheets only left him being filled with a sense of accomplishment. He refused to do anything other than continue the motion of adding lines to his canvas which was still so plain.

“Scream for me, love,” He whispered delicately, tone completely juxtaposing the acts he was committing with his right hand. He leaned down, allowing for his breath to tickle her ear whilst he made the next incision below her breasts. It had become a difficult task to spot the parts of her skin which were not painted red. The pleas for help left her lips with a rapid pace which only encouraged the male who continued to laugh darkly. He repositions himself to be straddling her legs as to grant himself more access to the wound. His focus soon returned to where his blade was ever so lightly dipping into cut over her stomach. His maniacal grin returns upon his action of pressing downward with the knife. 

“I do hope you’re having as much fun as I am,” He exasperates, breathing heavily from the ecstasy, which is provided, courtesy of this moment. It had become quite clear that his victim was reaching her final breath. He was required to finish with his plaything, and he was required to do so fast. Time was certainly against him, leaving him with no choice other than to withdraw his blade. Now he places the sharpened edge against the prominent features of her pale face. With each breath, more blood would drip down the metallic surface. She pressed harder and harder with her attempts to plead for the older to kill her, to simply end her torture.

“Why would I do that? Hmmm?” He replaces the blade with his delicate touch as he caresses her bloodied cheek. “You’re just starting to become interesting.” Having coated his forefinger in a considerable amount of blood from the small cut, he presses his finger to his lips, licking at the bitter substance. 

Just as he goes to jam his beloved blade, upward through the bottom of her jaw, her head violently twists to the left as her neck breaks. He leans backward, straightening his posture as he looks upon her now limp and bloodied corpse with his own expression of confusion and disappointment. What just occurred places him at a loss for a valid explanation. He never breaks their necks. It always seemed like a boring option which would quickly silence the cries he was there for. 

He doesn’t have a chance to give the situation further thought as a sudden darkness envelops the entirety of the room. Any light which provided him with a clear view of his prey becomes obsolete. The air becomes awfully thin, causing for him to stumble off the bed and onto the floor. His hands clutch at his throat as he fights for air, dagger falling from his grasp. He isn’t able to gather his senses enough before some kind of invisible force sends him to be roughly pressed against the far wall, his feet not even touching the solidarity surface of the ground. A grunt of pain from the impact of the force escapes his mouth as he finds himself frozen solid in this position. 

“Don’t bother struggling,” A foreign voice speaks firmly, each syllable holds an echo to it, as if more than one voice were speaking at once. “You will move when I deem it appropriate.”

The lack of lighting in the room revokes any means of Seonghwa being able to gain an accurate depiction as to what the sudden intruder looks like. From what he can manage to glimpse, whoever – whatever this thing is, it seems to hold no form in particular. Shadows make up its entirety, causing for mass feeling of uneasiness and caution flood through the light haired male.

“Park. Seong. Hwa,” It chants each syllable of his name. “You have spent many years of your life, withdrawing other’s last breaths. You are no assassin, but a mere mortal. Which almost makes your killings quite impressive when regarding the brutal ways you use.”

It wouldn’t have taken a genius to be able to gather that the thing who had granted his presence here, was not here for a simple visit. The force behind him was impeccable. Seonghwa couldn’t help but start to ponder whether there would be much of himself remaining upon the end of this encounter. 

“I’m not going to kill you,” The many voices which it uses seem to be slowing to become more in unison as the figure begins to take the few steps in order to close the distance in between them. “Perish the thought. Though I hope you like what you see, as what you see, is what you will become.”

Seonghwa opens his mouth in hopes to ask what the intruder meant by this. However, instead of words leaving his lips, he found himself unable to produce any kind of sound. His panic had barely sunk in when he felt a cool and almost soothing touch enveloping his skin. All warmth was quick to flee from his body as he felt something prodding at his eye. He didn’t have the strength to scream or even flinch as a wave of darkness invaded not only his eyes, but his nostrils and mouth.

His back arched from the wall, the grip keeping him there loosening slightly as his head was tilted back to face the ceiling. He could have sworn that he heard the being before him chuckling softly as the mortal allowed for himself to be engulfed in whatever this was. The need for air was stealthily increasing with each moment that passed. The mortal opened his mouth wider in hopes that it would allow for air to flood in, however it only caused for the dark substance to rush within using a greater force. If he went like this for much longer, Seonghwa knew that he wouldn’t make it. He was not expecting to have still obtained all his senses once his heart stopped beating. The need for air completely diminished as the forces of the darkness finally began to weaken.

Whatever had been holding him upright, had given way, sending him crashing onto the floor once more. The darkness seemed to have finished its obligation as it allowed for the weary mortal to close his eyes along with his mouth. On the ground, Seonghwa kept his lids closed for several moments, trying to re-gather his senses. 

Upon making the choice to allow for light to greet his eyes again, he found himself surprised to notice the sudden absence of the being who was here a few minutes prior. Pushing himself into a seated position, he felt an overwhelming sense of fear towards what had become of his being. He no longer adorned the smoothened skin which tended to help catch the eyes of others. In its place, were shadows. His figure had become a collective mass of darkness.

“What am I?” The multiple voices that belonged to the intruder had now become his own.

“Do not fear it, the dark is inevitable,” A sole voice spoke within his head. “You cannot fear what you have become, as others must taste the sweet taste of pure terror upon being in your presence. For an eternity, you shall grant the gift of death upon others as you have been bestowed with the gifts of Death himself.”


	2. Chapter One.

Snow covered the grounds, knee deep in some places, only barely touching the surface in others. It was winter and it had been for two months. For two months, Sutmond had become a deeper labyrinth than what it was in the beginning. The mad men who discovered this small town had removed the majority of the fauna in order to pave the ways for houses and factories. Yet, their pockets soon ran out of coins to dispense, meaning the place was never finished. Most houses were constructed from the cheapest of materials. Wood was the foundation for each and every building, excluding the one stone mansion which was placed on top of a small hill. The pathway which lead to this house in particular, was long and travelled out of the eye’s vision pretty quickly. It was a home for the richest family who had made the dire mistake of coming to this town. It was a town of poverty; each resident earned a living by contributing to the daily market. 

Winter was the most popular season of all for those who resided in Sutmond. Knitting items to sell from beneath the home-constructed tents, was much simply and less costly than the typical cooking or furniture crafting which went on. 

The construction of a simple woolen jumper was in constant high demand from the people around this time. Blankets were made from the thinnest materials. Households were considered quite lucky if they had more than one, or even a blanket which was twice the thickness of the normal, polyester one. Each jumper which was bought, tended to be worn at all times, except for the bath which most residents shared in order to cut the water and heating fees. It didn’t take long for the wool on these items to begin to fall apart, the ends fraying if you will. The people were yet to discover a method which assured the lasting duration of these jumpers. 

Most didn’t even want to make them last for longer than a week. The longer they lasted, meant the less purchasers for the next year. However, much caution needed to be taken when using this as a business model. A few stalls had been caught stating how they purposely lessened the quality of their produced items in order to enhance sales. Needless to say, the people boycotted these stalls. The families who ran them soon starved as they weren’t making any money. Most of them would be found dead within their homes a few weeks later. The town’s authorities—which consisted of two men with no fat on their bones, only the faintest of muscle—would ‘dispose’ of the unfortunate, freeing the property for the next family.

Sutmond’s horrible reputation never seemed to stop anyone as an endless amount of people seemed to always be flooding through the gates, and into houses almost immediately after they freed up. Having never left the town, no one was sure as to whether this was because there had been an increase in those without places to go or whether they had heard false information about the wealth of this town. There could be a war happening outside their town gates and they wouldn’t even know.

It had been this way ever since its discovery. No one bothered Sutmond, and Sutmond bothered no one.

Yeongwonhi was taught to knit as soon as she grew old enough to hold the needles. Her first day working in her family’s stall was when she was merely eight years of age. She worked to help customers make their payments for the knitted goods made by herself and her mother. As expected of all children, she would also be sent with a small coin purse, to other stalls to make her parent’s purchases whilst they manned the stall. 

No one ever bothered to take children who randomly wandered the streets. Afterall, to most they were seen as an unnecessary burden. They were simply extra mouths which needed feeding. To top it all off, they couldn’t assist the family in bringing in money until they had reached at least six years of age. If the family was lucky, they could allow for their children to actually be children for a few years extra, before they would be obliged to join the work force.

There were no schools to educate those who sought for them. Textbooks were near to none, a few scattered around some of the literary stalls. Those who were desperate, could teach themselves, or at least attempt to. Within the entire town, there was only one certified teacher. Mrs Yoo lived in the stone house. She was rarely spotted outside of its walls. It was almost as though the idea of being surrounded by poverty seemed like a major wound to her. Around three years ago, she moved to Sutmond from the wealthy constraints of Hea. Alongside her husband and their three children, the family may as well have been living the definition of the ‘perfect’ life. 

Had the path to the front doors of the house not been so long and discreet, most rumours suggested that the property contained a white picket fence.

The adults of this stone mansion were never spotted outside, yet their three children seemed to be allowed to roam freely as they pleased. Two daughters and a son. The son being the eldest at 23 years of age, his sisters being 20 and 16. He had always been the most talked about male by anyone with eyes. His attractiveness, charms and endless charisma had built up his reputation of being the man of almost every girl’s dreams.

Yeongwonhi never sold anything to anyone from within the stone mansion. They always imported their goods from Hea, which left the question as to why they bothered leaving in the first place. An unspoken pact within the community of Sutmond was that each resident would contribute to all of the stalls, whether they would buy a sweater one year and then a chair the next, it was just a given that you would help to financially support the neighbours. 

Somehow, Yeongwonhi’s family had scored the house which was planted on a block of land beside the pathway that led to the stone mansion. It was a small building which felt confined when the entire family were on the inside. The Kim family consisted of four daughters and three sons as well as the parents. Yeongwonhi was the oldest at 22, her youngest brother being 12. 

She had a close bond with her entire family. Something about not having access to constant funds, meaning you have to work joined at the hip each and every day seemed to have brought them closer. The town had always been surprised as to how the Kim family hadn’t lost anyone to starvation as of yet. There were so many mouths to feed and they only sold knitted sweaters. These items only successfully sold out during the season of Winter. It seemed like a foolish lifestyle, but it worked. Not even Yeongwonhi or anyone in her family understood why, but it worked. 

No matter how stable life at home appeared to be, it wasn’t enough to the peering eyes who tended to criticise each and every wrong move from the Kim’s. The most pressing matter at this time was the fact that Yeongwonhi was not betrothed. Getting married was nothing new to these people as they had the expectation for the daughters, in particular, to marry the first man who ever smiled their way.

Today was the fateful day of Valentine’s. It was tradition for the men to pop the question to any woman whom they had been fancying for the past year. If Yeongwonhi didn’t receive any offers, her father believed he would have to take the dreaded approach of finding a family who would be more than happy to allow for their son to participate in a forced marriage.

Yeongwonhi wished each night, that it would never come to a forced marriage. She couldn’t bear the thought of having to live with that reputation. It was never a good look, having to of waited for your family to choose someone for you because no one had wanted you.

Many girls could be heard squealing with joy as the boys asked the question. Some had brought rings with them, produced by the local iron smith. Whilst others merely asked the question with nothing to show for it. A few men had walked by the Kim’s stall, some even approaching Yeongwonhi, yet they only wanted to make a purchase of a jumper for their new fiancé’s. 

It was her sister who had noticed before she did, that the Yoo family was out wondering the streets, the children at least. The 19 year old had let out her own small squeal of excitement as she foresaw the eldest son with his sisters on either side. 

“Yeong! Yeong!” She cried out with an excited whisper, not wanting for the Yoo’s to hear her. The young female rushes over to her sister, clutching her arm with her delicate hands, in order to garb her attention. “It’s Yunho and his sisters!”  
Yeonwonhi follows her sister’s spare arm which points in the direction of those she speaks about. Indeed, the tall male with blonde hair stands before a stall which sells bread, one which is across the road from the Kim’s. The dark trousers which hug his legs accentuate the loose white shirt which adorns his torso. Even with his back to her, Yeongwonhi recognises the shirt to be one which has strings on its front. These are in place to assist the wearer in putting the shirt on or taking it off. It’s a typical design from the Hea market. 

The young girl who runs the bread stall smiles eagerly at the male who towers over her. He seems to be having a casual conversation with her as he watches his sisters examining the bread. He shows no signs of being cold, even chilled in the slightest way as he wears a lack of layers. Most people who have left the warmth of their fire-pits within their homes wear no less than four layers, including Yeongwonhi. Beneath the jumper she wears on top in order to display her products, she adorns two undershirts along with a dress which was carefully crafted for her by her Mother. The grey material is thick and reaches her ankles, still leaving her feet visible as they are comfortably confined with blackened books. Sheep’s fur lined the inside of these shoes, making them her favourite pair to wear to work in the winter months.

“Are they buying bread?” Yeongwonhi finds herself exclaiming, her tone ironic as she continues to watch on. She hopes the alcove of their stall shadows their faces enough that the family wouldn’t notice.

“Surely not, they don’t purchase from our stalls,” Her sister responds with a quietened voice, as though she were fearful of the others hearing each and every word she spoke. Almost as though they had acquired hearing of the discussion, Yunho is seen handing over a small handful of coins whilst his sisters place a few assortments of bread into a bag which they had brought along with them. The stall owner looks as though she were about to faint from the sudden contact with the taller male as he turns his back, walking away from her. 

“They’re coming over here,” Yeongwonhi’s younger sister says in a hurried tone as she moves to make herself appear busy. Her attempts are quite poor as she merely begins the menacing task of rewinding the loose threads upon their holds.

Having already been occupied with a task prior to the beginning of this entire fiasco, Yeongwonhi displayed no unease or awkwardness as she picked up the needle and thread, picking up on the stitch where she had left off. The sound of their footsteps approaching appeared long before they did. The younger of the sisters within the stall tried to not raise her gaze, the polar opposite of the eldest who greeted the incomers with a warm expression.

“Good morning, what can we do for you today?” Yeongwonhi asks what she typically asks upon the arrival of customers. Yunho returns her smile with one of his own, moving his hands to be intertwined behind his back before murmuring something to his sisters. The pair nod in understanding, flashing grins to Yeongwonhi and her sister before turning around and walking further into the depths of the market.

“I love the snow, don’t you?” Yunho remarks once his sisters have left. He seems to have completely disregarded her opening statement which gives her reason to believe he has arrived with an agenda separate to simply purchasing some jumpers.

“Of course, I find it provides a fool-proof mirage as to the actual state of this place. Any outsider – if they ever came – might actually believe Sutmond to be almost as wealthy as Hea.” Yeongwonhi knew the exact impact oh her words as she witnessed the flicker of hurt ever so briefly pass through the older’s vision. He doesn’t allow for this to put him at fault as he continues on. “I’m not sure if you have noticed, but you have acquired your residence beside my family’s ‘stone mansion,’ as you all call it,” A weaker blow from his side, maybe an attempt to even out the unspoken tally which seemed to have arisen between them. 

“I cannot help but take notice of you, the way you always work so hard to keep your family happy. To keep their heads above water, even if it means leaving the house in the darkness of midnight, simply to track down a body of water where you can access drinking water.”

“I don’t have a choice. My family would fall apart if I didn’t partake in these tasks. We don’t have a back up of any kind,” Yeongwonhi finally lowers her jumper which she was reaching the midpoint of forming. “I know this is probably your first day out in the market, but please understand that us stall owners do not have the time to waste on chit-chat such as this. Unless you require assistance with making a purchase then I am going to have to ask you to move on.”

The light haired male seems to be taken back by this sudden outburst. His speech falters for several moments as he lowers his gaze upon her bandaged fingers. Before he has an opportunity to raise a query about them, she tugs down on the sleeves of her jumper, removing them from his vision. He visibly swallows as he musters up the next phrase, raising his eyes to lock with her own.

“I want to ask for your hand in marriage.” His tone is gentle and caresses each syllable with the softest touch. The genuine smile from before has now morphed into a slight frown as he feels an unfamiliar fear of rejection seeping into his mind.

“W-What?” Yeongwonhi cannot help but allow for her speech to stutter as she finds herself being completely shocked. What had just been said was certainly one of the last things which she had expected to hear. She was unsure of how she should respond, opting to have her expression remaining completely bewildered as she hopes Yunho will explain. Her sister dropped the jumper upon hearing this, silently making her way to be stood beside Yeongwonhi as she wanted to be sure she could hear each and every word from the blonde haired male.

“I may not have the same life burdens as you do, I may be excused from the idea of obtaining marriage before I reach a certain age,” He pauses for a moment as he seems to be deciphering the best vocabulary which is valid. “My mother has always roused the idea of myself finding a partner who has good morals. Someone who not only will make me happy but will be able to maintain a worth-while lifestyle.”

“And considering you have never spoken to me, what makes you think that I can make you happy?” Yeongwonhi questions the older’s explanation as she can’t help but pick up on its flaws.

“That’s where I was hoping I’d be able to pull you away from your stall for a while.” His voice sounds quite hopeful, as though he were expecting her to simply walk away from the job which keeps her family fed and their heads beneath a roof. 

“Go,” Her sister butts in before she can even shake her head in disagreement. “I can manage alone for a while. Mother will be joining us soon anyways, go and talk with him and you best be smart about it.” She was lying when she stated their mother would be appearing. Their parents only worked the stall two days a week, and today was not one of those days.

“I promise I won’t kill you or do anything untoward,” Yunho smirks sarcastically. He even goes as far as raising his hands in slight surrender. Ignoring the hesitation which halts her from moving away, Yeongwonhi turns her back to him as she grabs her coat which had been drooped across one of the chairs upon the start of the day. She shrugs it over her shoulders before walking around to be at the blonde haired male’s side. He smiles at her, a gentle expression, before initiating the walk towards the end of the market filled street.

They could both plainly hear the shocked whispers and remarks that were made as they passed. Yeongwonhi was always the last person which anyone had ever expected to have been picked by Yunho. If they were being fair, none of them expected to ever be given the opportunity of discussing the weather – let alone marriage – with any member of the Yoo family.   
The pair did their best to plainly ignore the stares and talk in their direction as they approached a bench seat placed before river which ran along the side of the town’s central area. The few trees of this town surrounded this area, their green leaves turned white by the heavy layers of snow which had doused them. The bench had already been cleared from the substance as Yunho gestured for Yeongwonhi to take a seat. She happily obliged as she filled the space, resting her left arm on the armrest. Her male companion continued to smile as he took the place beside her.

“As you know, my family’s background means I have never been able to obtain much knowledge as to how your people live.” His tone is kept low as he adjusts the positioning of his hands to be held in his lap, allowing for him to fiddle with his fingers to try and deal with the nerves.

“Trust me, I know,” Yeongwonhi sighs, almost frustrated by the situation. “If you knew anything about us then you certainly wouldn’t have pulled me away from work.”

“If you marry me, no one in your family will have to work in the business of selling jumpers ever again.” He tries to use this as a selling point, as though the idea of marriage was something that could be bought.

“You’re trying to buy me with your wealth?” Yeongwonhi is visibly offended by this as she folds her arms across her chest, sternly. “We are doing just fine without your money.”

“Just give me a chance, Yeongwonhi, please,” His tone softens to sound almost pleading as he turns his head to face hers. It is then she is able to catch a glimpse of what looks like genuine dismay regarding the possibility of her turning him down. “We may not have talked as adults, but we have grown up next door to each other. You seem to have completely forgotten.”

She had not forgotten, not at all. She had merely done her best to refrain from recalling their shared past. For a few years the pair would sneak away to be by the river, along with his sisters and her two other sisters who were old enough to follow at the time. They used to spend hours on end swimming when it was the warmer months, having snow fights during the winter. It wasn’t until one day where Mrs Yoo discovered the children’s antics, that they were forced to stop seeing each other. The reputation and status of their family meant that Yeongwonhi’s parents practically forbade her from mentioning any of the children from their household. She was quick to willingly push away these memories and act as though they had never happened.

“There is no one else in the entirety of this damned town who I would want to spend my life with. I cannot even bear to think of staying in my family’s house for the entirety of my breathing years. We got on extremely well then, why can’t we do the same now?”

“Perish the thought,” Yeongwonhi mutters faintly. “Surely you would be able to find someone elsewhere who was more fitting to your…Standards.”

Yunho shifts his position on the bench as he takes her hand in his own. “You are the only one who meets my ‘standards’ as you put them. Just give me the opportunity to make you happy and put your family at ease. Don’t let them wed you to someone who you have truly never breathed a word to.”

“Does your mother know of your proposal choice?” She questions him, surprisingly not retracting her had from his warm grip. She finds a strange sense of comfort along with warmth as his thumb delicately traces circles against her palm.

“Not as of yet, but if she wants to stay in my life, she will have to accept it.” He tells her with an assuring look in his eyes. He hasn’t broken their gaze once as he says this. 

“Can I have more time to think about it? This is really sudden, and I think I’d like to be able to consider its every aspect.” Yeongwonhi is the first to break the gaze as she redirects her attention to their joined hands. The older cannot help but frown as he nods in a silent agreement. He withdraws his hand from hers before standing from the bench once more.

“I’d love to give you as much time as you need but I’m afraid we are both rather skewed for it,” He scratches the back of his neck, somewhat awkwardly. “Would tomorrow morning be enough?”

“Plenty,” She verbally responds. She wanted to tell him no, to ask for a week – or even a month – but she knew that she also had until the end of today for that decision to be made. Tomorrow morning would already be pushing it.

Yunho smiles that genuine smile of his before shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his trousers. He almost sheepishly gazes towards the direction of the market stalls before shrugging his shoulders, making an internal decision.

“I want to buy three of your warmest jumpers.” Yeongwonhi can’t stop the smile which musters itself over her features. She stands herself before following the male back toward her family stall. The pair manage to maintain a small conversation up until they approach her sister who waits eagerly. She goes to bombard them both with questions but is immediately silenced by Yeongwonhi as she hurriedly presses her forefinger to her lips. If Yunho notices the sisters communicating, he doesn’t say anything as he instead begins to carefully examine the different jumpers.

“My customers tend to agree that the bigger ones are warmer,” Yeongwonhi explains as she walks over to his side. “I suggest these ones for your sisters.” She picks up two, violet stitched jumpers which have been lined with the warmest materials she has had access to. “And this one for you.” The third jumper she takes notice of, is one of white in colour. Being one of the largest sizes, it is an easy fit for the older as he slips it over his head to test it out. It even has a few extra centimetres of length on the sleeves. He smiles to himself as he moves his arms to hug his chest.

“I’ll take them,” He states, tone final as he reaches to pull a coin purse from his pocket. Having purchased all he was after, Yunho bid both of the sisters a farewell before trailing off in the direction of his home. After his departure, Yeongwonhi cannot help but feel as though a massive weight has been lifted from her. She lets out an audible sigh before pacing over to her sister.

“I’m going home,” She remarks softly. “Mother should be arriving shorty and I just need time to think.” Her sister raises a brow in slight confusion as she halts her progress in folding the jumpers. The decision is crystal clear to her. She struggles to understand why her sister is struggling with the idea of marrying Yunho. To anyone, it would be a simple decision.

“Stop overthinking everything. Don’t waste this opportunity, most would kill to be in your shoes right now,” She exclaims before hugging the older goodbye. Yeongwonhi doesn’t verbally respond as she wraps her shawl tightly around her shoulders, exiting the stall in the direction of her home. 

Upon her immediate arrival at the front door to her home, Yeongwonhi couldn’t halt the feeling of dread which quickly formed within her stomach. She knocked twice before twisting the door handle and walking inside, her way of alerting the family that it was her.

Once she had stepped inside the small home, the sound of cries could be heard quite clearly. Without hesitation, Yeongwonhi made her way to the living room. Her eyes immediately landed on her Mother who was seated on the couch, hands cupped over her eyes. Her Father was by her side with a comforting arm placed on her shoulder.

“What’s wrong?” She questions. Within seconds she is crouched before the pair, a hand placed on her Mother’s knee. 

“They’re raising taxes, dear, we can’t afford them,” Her Mother admits outright. Yeongwonhi’s eyes widen in concern as she turns to look at her Father. He simply frowns, keeping his main focus on his wife. This was a common situation for many families in this place. Taxes would be raised for no apparent reason, leading to bankruptcy and homelessness. 

She never expected this would happen to her own family. It was always someone else’s problem, never one of their own. Her head was spinning, thoughts racing through with any possible solutions. Simply increasing the production line of sweaters was not going to do anything, she knew that at least. Yet, maybe if she accepted her proposal, she could secure a loan, or even one of Yunho’s family items to try and acquire the money for this house for as long as need be. 

“I think I can help,” Yeongwonhi speaks up. Both her parents gaze at her, trying to shade the sudden hope that has formed within their eyes. “Yunho asked me to marry him. The Yoo’s have a lot of coin and if I accept his hand then maybe I can secure us for as long as we need.”

Her Mother shakes her head slowly whilst her Father does the complete opposite. A small tug upwards seems to be forming across his lips as he tries to shrug off his wife’s clear objection.

“After time we could pay you back,” He says confidently.

“No,” Her Mother exclaims. “I wouldn’t be able t live with myself if we forced our own daughter to take part in a marriage, she didn’t want to be a part of to simply help us out financially.”

Her Father silently expresses a plea for his daughter to make some kind of remark regarding her willing attitude to take part of the marriage, to make her Mother accept it.

“It’s okay, Mother. I was going to say yes either way. It’d be ridiculous of me to turn down the hand of a man whom I already know well,” Yeongwonhi sounds quite convincing. Her Father picks up on the fact that it doesn’t reach her eyes but, in this moment, they have no other choice.

“I don’t like this,” Her Mother begins to cry again. “Not one bit.” Yeongwonhi removes her hand from her knee as she stands again. She whispers an ‘I love you’ to both parents before leaving the confines of their home. 

Without really thinking about it, her feet subconsciously lead her to the Yoo residence next door. The gate for visitors is unlocked as it is the middle of the day. Once the sun sets, the large iron structure is bolted in order to keep everyone out. Rumour had it, that if any of those who resided within the manor failed to arrive home before the closure of the gates, they wouldn’t be allowed to enter. A popular account of this happening involved one of Yunho’s sisters. She had snuck out to spend time with a local stable boy and got wrapped up in his presence that she didn’t realise how late it was.

She arrived back at the house and begged for someone to let her inside, but no one answered her calls, leaving her to seek warmth from the clothes she wore as she shivered in a heap against the gates. The next morning, she was escorted inside and straight into a steaming bath.

Yeongwonhi tried to steady her trembling hands as she climbed the stairs that lead to the front door. Raising her hand, she knocks three times before stepping back. Footsteps can be heard shuffling towards the door a few moments later. Soon the wooden door is pulled open to reveal the family butler.

“Is Yunho home?” She asks the neatly dressed man who eyes her up and down. It is clear by the faint hint of recognition in his gaze that he remembers her from several years back.

“I’ll go fetch him for you, Miss Yeongwonhi,” He steps aside, gesturing for her to enter the premises. She nods in gratitude before placing herself in the foyer of the building. He swiftly walks up the grand staircase, hopefully to Yunho’s room- or quarters as one may choose to refer to them.

Being left alone in the large space, Yeongwonhi can’t avoid her will to observe her surroundings. She hadn’t been within the walls of this place in years. Not much had changed, other than the recent paint job that seemed to have been done of most of the walls. The wallpaper which used to cover these walls had been removed completely. This was no surprise considering Mrs Yoo always hated the ‘hideous’ designs on it.

Something by the front door seems to catch the outsider’s eye as she wanders over to the object. A small glistening hilt can be viewed, hidden withing a silk sheath that is attached to the space right beside the door. She can’t help but reach for it with her hand. Steadying her trembles, she withdraws the dagger. It has a deep red, ruby-eyed eagle on the pommel, the blade appearing sharp enough to tear anyone into ribbons. It had to be worth a pretty penny.

She could consider this as a ‘welcome to the family’ gift. At least, that is what she hopes her soon to be in-laws will think as she slips the item into her boot. Just as she straightens her stance again, she notices her familiar companion walking down the stairs to be before her.

“I must admit, I was not expecting you to return with an answer so quick,” Yunho exclaims with a soft smile upon his expression. “But the pleasure is all mine.”

Yeongwonhi consciously forces the corners of her mouth to pull upward, hoping her fawned look of happiness mirrors within her eyes as well.

“I realised that I was allowing for my stupidity to take control of my senses before,” She begins her fluent lie that hadn’t even been rehearsed once within her mind. “I have to apologise for any possibility of me coming across quite rude or harsh. To be honest I am still stunned that you would come to me for marriage, but I would be more than happy to oblige and accept.”

“Really? Are you certain?” Yunho’s voice quickly fills with sounds of his own joy as he takes another step towards his soon to be betrothed. His hands grab her upper arms, giving them a gentle squeeze as she nods in assurance. 

He is quick to pull her into a warm embrace, caging her within his arms. The gesture may have been comforting had she not felt so trapped by the verbal agreement she had just made in order to save her family from a possibly dire situation. 

“Now I must ask,” Yunho speaks up again, not letting go or pulling away at all. “Were you planning on telling me about the dagger in your boot before or after we were married?”

Yeongwonhi fills her heart clenching in absolute panic. She manages to push the taller away as she glimpses down to where a dark stain seems to be forming on her shoe. That’s when the pain hits her. Yunho accidentally nudged her foot with his own when he hugged her, causing for the blade to cut her skin and bleed through her boot.

“My family are going to be bankrupt, Yunho,” Yeongwonhi commences her wave of explanations. “Please, you have to understand that it was only to help them.”

“Were you going to slice their necks in their sleep?” The outsider begins to feel quite afraid as she notices a darkened gaze washing over the other’s features. Gone is the joyous expression from moments prior. “Or were you going to try and sell it for some coin? I hate to tell you this Yeongwonhi, but that blade is wide known for being sole property to our family. You would be placed on a life sentence within prison immediately if you tried to sell the thing.”

“I’m sorry, I’ll give it back,” Her voice begins to break as she finds herself starting to be swept up within her emotions. She goes to pull the object from her boot but is brought to a stop as Yunho roughly grabs her arms, forcing her to remain standing. Her panicked gaze meets with his again, not even a hint of remorse showing in his eyes. 

“If you’re lucky, they’ll let your family visit, though if they choose to see you after having heard of your shameful act, it will be a pure miracle,” He states. Yeongwonhi isn’t given an opportunity to react as she only absorbs the brunt force of the male’s hand as he grips a bunch of her hair, slamming her head into the wall. The world fades to black.

\--

Drip, drip, drip. 

The sound echoed within her ears long before she opened her eyes. There was hardly a point in even cracking open her lids as she lay on the cold concrete floors of her cell. The bruising on her face had gone down quite significantly after her first month in here.

The scar on her ankle served as a constant reminder as to the reason she was in here for life. The incident had blessed her with a limp. Whilst her cell was a concrete area with the inside being four metres by three, it was enough space for her to discover the new lameness to her gait. 

She had never been presented with the luxury of life sentenced prisoners prior to becoming one. Within her cell there was a miserable mattress on a metal frame that hardly classified as a bed. The only way she could tell whether it was night of day was due to a twenty centimetre barred window that had been positioned toward the ceiling of her cell. She had become one of the lucky few to receive a window cell after Yunho requested for it. Even after sending her to these dark and moist depths, he still seemed to hold some kind of sympathy for her.

Whenever it rained, the roof had been made so as to leak. This explained the constant sounds of water dripping down onto the ground. The bed had been positioned in order for the leaky roof to be square above the prisoner’s head. Yeongwonhi’s family never visited her. Her only visit was a week into the sentence when Yunho was allowed to enter her cell. She had simply crawled up into a ball in the far corner of the space, refusing to respond or even look at the man.

He had tried to touch her, to examine the results of his brutal force to render her unconscious that day. She had revolted from his touch as though she would be sick. He apologised and told her how her family were too ashamed and embarrassed to come see her. If she ever needed his company, all she had to do was send word to her guard and he would be down in an instant.

The thought of seeing this man on multiple occasions made her shiver through the chills that she constantly had due to her lack of warmth. She was supposedly lucky to have a thin woolen jumper to cover the almost see through fabric of her dress that provided nothing to her shape.

Whenever she bathed, she had begun to notice her ribs were starting to become quite visible. Running her fingers along the thinning skin, she had counted twelve bones going down on each side. Twenty-four ribs seemed to be quite excessive, but she supposed it was necessary. Counting them everyday had almost become a measure for her to keep her sanity. It would help her realise when her delusions had kicked in. At least, that is what she had hoped. The day where twenty-four fades to twenty-three and so on, then she would know that the grey matter of her brain was finally giving in.

To try and help with quickening the time that she was forced to spend within the confined space, she had taken to singing a gently lullaby that her Mother used to sing when she was a child. The lack of water meant her voice was quite raspy and hoarse. Not even the slight moistening of her lips as her salty tears crept down her face was enough to clear up her throat.

‘When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are, anything your heart desires will come to you.’

One may ask what Yeongwonhi would desire in this moment. Sixty-three days into her torment, she would’ve expected to have the desire to go home or to even rewind time. But she knew it was hopeless to have such an unrealistic want.

You could go through most the cells in this place and ask that dreaded question and would be quite surprised with the responses you would receive. The majority of the people here wanted to slip away into the cold and becoming embrace of death. It was near impossible to commit suicide when every possible measure was put in place with aims to keeping all prisoners alive to live out their sentence. They were never supplied with metal cutlery. A simple birch stick that had been filed down to a flat object was all they were given with meals. To ensure they couldn’t attempt anything with the cardboard trays, a guard would remain positioned on the inside of the cell whilst each individual ate.

Their clothes had been made thin enough that any attempt to use one as a knot around another’s neck would see it tearing before even a bruise could form. This is where the only way to slip away with death was to simply pray to him each and every night. From the depths of despair, words would need to be formed otherwise the man of shadows would never even pay a second glance in one’s direction. Yeongwonhi had grown accustomed to the prison. She would be lying if she said she hadn’t started following in the steps of her prison mates as she had commenced pleading to be whisked away upon her fortieth night within these walls.

As one may kneel down before bed prior to sleep, clasping their hands together before saying a select few words to the Lord, Yeongwonhi would crawl beneath the thin blankets, clasping her hands together as tears fell, saying her select words to Death.

Winter had ended a few weeks ago, yet the brutal chill of this season seemed to linger on the sixty-fourth night. Yeongwonhi’s teeth chattered together harshly enough that she was sure they were beginning to grind down on themselves. Her twenty-four rips prominently pressed into her arms as she hugged herself with all the strength she could muster. 

Keeping her eyes closed, knees brought up to her chest, she tried to soak up any warmth she possibly could. At least it wasn’t raining. Nothing dripped on her forehead as she slowly froze.

She had faintly felt a sudden breeze within her cell but didn’t pay any attention to it as she remained in her position. Even when she felt something similar to a caress on her bony cheek, she shrugged it off as her hallucinations beginning to kick in. To test this, she managed to pull one arm away from her middle, beginning to softly trace each rib of hers. 

Twenty-three, twenty-four. She hadn’t gone insane yet. Or had she managed to seep away into the arms of being unstable whilst still keeping the ability to count. 

When she heard a soft chuckle filling the empty space of her surroundings, she forced her eyes to open wide. She was no longer concerned by the cold as even in the dark, she saw the outlines of a congestion of shadows. Yeongwonhi was quick to reposition herself into a seated position as she pressed her back against the brick wall behind her.

The being before her was made entirely of shadows, helping it to blend into the night’s darkness. Yet, the more she observed it, the more it seemed to shift into a form which vaguely made the appearance of a human. The darkness turned to skin. The pale tones quite startling when contrasted to the shadows that silhouetted the figure. Its face morphed to be a seemingly normal shaped head, eyes still the shade of ebony with hair to match this shade. Charcoal trousers matched with a loose shirt of the same colour was soon to be observed covering his body. With a lethal smirk, the entity walked over to the bed, placing each step onto the floor with enough impact that anyone would be able to hear his movements. Approaching the side of the bed, he slowly moves to be in a couched position, resting his chin on the palm of his hand as he stares into Yeongwonhi’s frightened eyes.

“For someone who has been calling me for twenty-four days,” His voice was distorted, only heightening the dread within the mortal. “You seem awfully afraid of my arrival.”

Yeongwonhi wants to question who he is. She wants to open her mouth and ramble out her millions of questions, yet the freeze response of her internal nervous system seems to be too much for even her words to take over.

“Tell me, Wonhi,” He doesn’t bother with the entirety of her name. “Do you still wish for Death to whisk you away? Hmm?” 

Yeongwonhi manages to stabilise her state for a moment long enough to gently nod her head. With the successful movement, her voice appears to have returned to a form of being able to successfully communicate. 

“P-Please,” Her voice comes out as barely a whisper. Had the other not been reading her lips as she spoke, he may have missed the entirety of the stuttered phrase. She swore she almost picked up on a hint of empathy upon the male’s features, even with the lack of ability in seeing his eyes with the way he kept them dark. 

Yeongwonhi could hardly object when he extended a hand towards her. His skin was bitterly cold against her own. He kept a steady hold on her as she slithered off the bed and onto the ground where she stood before him. Once he had managed to stand in front of her, she realised their height difference. He was quite tall, a literal depiction of the ‘dark, tall and handsome’ man that many hoped to come across in their lives. However, he was no man, he was Death. Death had answered her calls.

He was quick to take her other hand in his as he held them both. For several moments he paused as he examined the small scars that remained from her days of knitting jumpers. A frown become visible, only expanding as he crouched to gaze at the exposed scar on her ankle. He let go of her hands as he softly traced the brutal reminder.

“What happened to you?” He questions, voice dripping with what the mortal swore to be concern. She doesn’t answer verbally, instead meeting his stare with her own broken one. He stands once more, reaching for her hands yet again.

“Please,” Is all she manages to form within her throat, tears threatening to fall over the edge. The pure darkness from the other’s eyes melts away as he takes on two, brown eyes that look near mortal. He mutters something foreign beneath his breath before relocated his hands to be on either side of her face. 

“You don’t deserve to die,” He says quietly, brows furrowing together in sorrow. Then ever so delicately, he leans forwards to press his lips to hers. She doesn’t even fight against the darkness that floods from him into herself. One may tend to fear the intrusion of their body, but Yeongwonhi welcomed the change as she closed her eyes.

The passing of a minute brought with it, the dark haired male taking a step backward, pulling away from the mortal entirely. He merely held her stare as her eyes rolled into the back of her head. The last thing she recalls is two arms encasing around her before she can even hit the floor.


End file.
